Elementary School • December 2011
®
How Families Can Help Children Become Better Readers
Parsons District Schools USD #503
Parsons, Kansas 67357
Partner with a snowman for winter reading
There’s just something about snowmen that seems
to inspire writers. And December is the
perfect time of year to check out one
of these wintry titles:
• Sneezy the Snowman by
Maureen Wright.
• The Greatest Snowman
in the World! by Peter
Hannan.
• Horrid Henry and the
Abominable Snowman
by Francesca Simon.
• Beware, The Snowman by
R.L. Stine.
Jupiter Images
• Case of the Sneaky Snowman by Carolyn Keene.
After sharing one (or all!) of these snowy stories with your child,
it’s time to make your own. First, build a snowman with your
child—either outside, out of actual snow, or inside, out of paper,
cotton balls or even marshmallows.
Then, encourage your child to get inspired by his snowman.
Ask him what kinds of adventures his snowman could have.
Have him write his tale down—then make it a tradition to read
his story on the first day of winter every year!
y
Learn about the five ‘phones’ of literac
ut phonemic awareness?
What does phonics mean? How abo
racy terms can be
Are they the same thing? These lite
“phones.” They include:
confusing. There are actually five
focuses on how letters and
1. Phonics. This teaching method
S says ssssss, as in snake.
sounds are related. For example,
inguish between similar
2. Phonology. Kids use this to dist
sounds, such as wait and wade.
s happens when kids spell
3. Phonetic spelling or reading. Thi
(or appears). This
(or read) a word the way it sounds
for love.
leads to mistakes like writing luv
awareness that words
ld
bui
s
4. Phonological awareness. Kid
nting syllables is one
may contain several sounds. Cou
way to help with this.
n the sounds that
5. Phoneme awareness. Kids also lear
by emphasizing parts
this
create words. You can support
-m.
of words, such as each letter in M-o
es of Reading,” Reading Rockets,
Source: S. Wren, “The Phive Phon
.
347/
icle/
g/art
ts.or
www.readingrocke
Good attendance boosts reading skills
Research shows missing
school has negative
effects on reading and
learning. This winter,
resolve not to let your
child miss school unless
absolutely necessary. Then
start 2012 with helpful routines. Stick
to a regular sleep schedule and prepare
school supplies at night. This makes
mornings easier and prevents tardiness.
Source: “Every School Day Counts: The Forum Guide
to Collecting and Using Attendance Data,” National
Center for Education Statistics, http://nces.ed.gov/
pubs2009/attendancedata/chapter1a.asp.
Don’t let cold weather increase
your child’s time in front of the TV
It’s easy to lose track
of TV time when
it’s too cold to play
outside. Experts
recommend kids
have no more than 10 hours
of screen time per week. To stick to that
limit, come up with a plan. Decide on
fun reading-related alternatives ahead of
time, for example, or act out a play.
Story starters bring life to writing
To help your child practice writing,
make it fun! Instead of saying,
“Why don’t you write a
story?” offer irresistible
story starters like these:
• It’s the year 2100. What
are your future relatives
doing?
• You’re a space explorer.
What does your ship look like, and
where are you going?
• Oh no! Your hair turned into spaghetti,
and when you eat it, it grows right
back! What will you do?
Follow us on Twitter @BuildingReaders • Copyright © 2011, The Parent Institute®, www.parent-institute.com
Elementary School • December 2011
®
Help your child understand how to read
analogies before taking standardized tests
Popular reading show is
online—and portable
Analogies (or comparisons of words) often
appear on standardized tests, and they may
look something like this: Apple is to sweet
as lemon is to ______. To help your child
with questions like this, suggest that he:
• Decide how the first two words are related.
In this example analogy, an apple tastes
sweet. In other analogies, the words may
be antonyms (opposites), synonyms (words
with similar meanings), a whole and a part (like hand
and finger) or a group and an item (such as animal and
bear), for example.
• Use that information to solve the analogy. How does a lemon
taste? Sour. Sour belongs in the blank.
“Between the Lions” is
a respected PBS Kids
show about reading.
Now it also has an
entertaining website for kids,
complete with songs and videos
to
download and take with you! Fin
d it at
http://pbskids.org/lions.
For lower elementary readers:
Source: A. Reckner, “What’s an analogy?” Fact Monster, www.factmonster.com/spot/
analogy.html.
Reading is a fun, productive way to unwind
Jupiter Images
Few things are more relaxing than sitting down with a good
book. Thankfully, this is one of the best ways to develop reading
skills! To make reading a fun, family affair:
• Visit the library regularly. Look
for books related to events
in your lives. For example,
“Grandma is planning a trip
to Australia. Let’s get some
books about the country and
things to do there.”
• Read together. Choose a
daily time for reading, such
as before bed. Read to your
child or take turns reading
aloud. If your child prefers
Source: “Reading, Literacy and Your
to read independently, stay
Child,” University of Michigan Health
nearby and enjoy a book
System, www.med.umich.edu/yourchild/
topics/reading.htm.
yourself.
Q:: A
My child gets frustrated when he struggles to read a
word. How can I help?
Suggest that he become a “reading detective.” He
can look for clues, such as sounds in the word
and nearby pictures. You can also discuss similar
words he knows. Sometimes it helps to re-read
the sentence or to skip the troublesome word and keep reading.
Then say, “What word would make sense there?”
Do you have a question about reading? Email [email protected].
• The Gingerbread Man
Loose in the School by
Laura Murray (Putnam
Juvenile). A gingerbread
man is left behind as
the class goes to recess.
But this smart cookie
plans to find them—and will get into
plenty of trouble along the way.
• Mirror, Mirror: A Book of Reversible
Verse by Marilyn Singer (Dutton
Juvenile). These poems based on
fairy tales have a special feature.
They can be read down or up the
page for different meanings!
For upper elementary readers:
• Word After Word After Word by
Patricia Maclachlan (Katherine
Tegen Books). A writer tells fourth
graders that everyone has a story to
tell—and together they discover how
right she is.
• The Case of the Fire Alarm by Dori
Hillestad Butler (Albert Whitman &
Company). Who pulled the school
fire alarm? Buddy the therapy dog
will find out! This is the fourth book
in the Buddy Files series.
Building Readers®
How Families Can Help Children Become Better Readers
Publisher: John H. Wherry, Ed.D.
Editor: Jennifer McGovern.
Writer: Susan O’Brien.
Copyright © 2011, The Parent Institute® (a division of NIS, Inc.)
P.0. Box 7474, Fairfax Station, VA 22039-7474
1-800-756-5525, ISSN: 1533-3302
1531-4901
www.parent-institute.com
Follow us on Twitter @BuildingReaders • Copyright © 2011, The Parent Institute®, www.parent-institute.com
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